1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a coin-operated single-copy dispensing machine for newspapers, periodicals and similar articles in which a stack of said articles is depleted in the order in which they are stacked; there is a transparent inspecting means to determine the articles being dispensed; there are interrelated actuators to activate the mechanism on deposit of the correct combination of coins and to deactivate it upon the withdrawal of a single article; having adjusting means for adaptation to the size of articles being dispensed; and a self-compensating means for adjusting to a decreasing supply.
2. Description of the Prior Art
This invention pertains primarily to coin-operated, single-copy newspaper dispensing machines, though it should be understood that the basic invention also may be utilized for dispensing periodicals or other articles of relatively similar shape. For purposes of this discussion, the prior art will be divided into two categories, commercially available newspaper dispensing machines and patented, non-commercially available newspaper dispensing machines.
The problems associated with newspaper vending and dispensing machines are well documented in the prior art. These include weather-proof cabinets, secure coin boxes, means to display the article being vended, ease of loading the machine and single-copy dispensing. Both commercially available machines and patented, non-commercially available machines have solved the bulk of these problems. However, despite claims to the contrary, the problem of a secure, effective single copy dispensing machine which is economically feasible for a low-margin distribution system has remained unsolved. The device of the present invention is directed to a solution of this problem.
Commercially available newspaper vending machines currently suffer a loss rate of twelve to sixteen percent; that is, one of every six to eight newspapers is removed from the machine without payment. This loss rate is too great for a distributor to bear, since it is a loss of gross revenue. The dispensing mechanism of the present invention is designed precisely to solve this problem. It provides a newspaper withdrawal opening which is adjustable to the thickness of a single newspaper. As the newspaper is withdrawn through the dispenser opening, a pair of spring-operated levers snap into position to block the withdrawal of another paper until the door is closed and payment is made.
In the prior patent art, only U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,733, issued to Knickerbocker, discloses a design for a relatively secure, single copy newspaper dispensing machine. The design disclosed in this patent is unduly complex. For example, it includes a paper display compartment which is a locked compartment containing a single copy of the paper being dispensed. After the last paper in the machine has been dispensed, this compartment is unlocked so that the display copy may be sold. The present invention avoids the additional parts necessary for this complex mechanism by providing a simple means for viewing the top of the stack of papers in the machine. The elevator mechanism of Knickerbocker to bring the stack of papers to the dispenser mechanism is unnecessarily complex, requiring a winch to control tension, and is simplified in the present invention by a spring loaded device. The paper thickness adjustment mechanism of the Knickerbocker patent is also unduly complex and has been extremely simplified in the present invention. The paper withdrawal control means of this application is also greatly simplified. In the machine of the present invention, the result of simplification of the component subsystems results in a substantial reduction in the number of parts, a substantial reduction in the manufacturing cost and a substantial increase in reliability.